Sunday, August 24, 2014

Bay Bistro where you literally dine on the bay gets bravos-Turks&Caicos(8-19-14)

Bay Bistro is down the beach a mile or so from the center of Grace Bay in
an unassuming resort but sits right on the edge of the sand, so we were able to
enjoy the sunset as we arrived and ordered a bottle of Minuty 2013 Rose from
France which Will declared to smell like pot (yup, marijuana), but my innocent
self called it a dry crisp refreshing rose with an earthy aroma.

Bread arrived in the form of yummy warm cheese rolls with a pesto dip that
was what I would call rough as the leaves were still not completely pulverized,
but we all loved it, especially Sam the pesto man!

The menu here is similar to many other places in that it specializes in
local fish with some imported meats and such, but the recipes do have a novel
twist.

Will started with the Princess Conch (which was odd, as we had been told
that only the Queen conch was worth eating!)& Mushroom Crepe with roasted
red pepper pesto and cream sauce. It was extremely rich and heavy, but
delicious.

I chose the Coffee-rubbed Yellowfin Tina sliced thin and served barely
seared and oh so perfectly rare in an Asian marinade with Garnish Salad (wasabi
dressing) and pickled ginger. It is the perfect starter after spending the
entire day touring the remote island cays(as we did) in the intense heat.

Samuel ordered the Veggie Spring Rolls on Baby Arugula with Oven Dried
Tomatoes and then decided to go on to the simple Kiddie Menu Angel Hair Pasta
with Tomato Sauce & Cheese.

For our entrees Will and I both chose the excellent Blackened Lobster with
Mango Chutney, light Curry Sauce, roasted potatoes and sauteed vegetables. This
was a winner of a dish with two HUGE tails for a price less than all the other
lobster dishes we had in 6 days of lobster season! It suffered only slightly
from the fact that the meat was just slightly overcooked, but in no means dry or
well done!

We did have an issue with our server Jamesly as he seemed to disappear
every time we needed more wine, so I did most of the pouring. We also asked him
and two other folks each for a wine list to order some more, but it seemed to
never come. We finally just ordered a glass of the house red, Louis Philipe
Edwards Chilean Pinot Noir, that we figured was light enough for the lobster,
but would stand up to the spice, which while not intense, was formidable. It
actually tasted more like a Malbec, but worked quite well.

We asked Jamesly if he had ever been to North & Middle Caicos (more on
them later) where we spent the day and the islands are so very pure and
pristine, and he said even though he was from Provo (Providenciales), he would
not be interested in going there. We were quite surprised, but I guess it's like
a New Yorker who has never been to Albany!

We were all full and headed home for a quiet night and an early to
bed!